MACHADO AHEAD OF TIMETABLE, FEELS GOOD ABOUT OPENING DAY
In a little over three weeks, the majority of the Orioles team will report to Spring Training, and among them will be third baseman Manny Machado. Machado, of course, had surgery to repair a torn medial patellofemoral ligament in his knee on October 14th of 2013. The recovery timetable is usually expected to be approximately six months, but Machado was declared to be ahead of schedule earlier this month by manager Buck Showalter. Showalter had also added that he and the organization felt confident Machado would have a chance to be ready by Opening Day in Baltimore on March 31st.
Machado has recently added his own input to the discussion saying the rehab process is going well, and that he expects to complete his assignments in the next two weeks in order to be able to travel to Spring Training in Sarasota. Machado has been working hard to rehab his knee and has been participating in exercises from pool work, to recently making sure he could cut laterally on the field before returning to baseball activities. He admits he is still not 100%.
Machado has resumed fielding ground balls though, and said last week, “I’m able to do most things out on the field. It’s not 100 percent, but I’m able to catch grounders and do my routine.” He later added that the rehab may help him become an ever better player than he was last season.
“It’s something that’s been going well,” said Machado. “I actually think I’ve gotten a lot more done than in the past.”
Machado has been working hard on his upper-body training in the weight room while working on rehabbing his knee.
Machado was one of the best third basemen in baseball last season, as he was voted to the All-Star game and won a gold glove while leading the American League in doubles with 51. Getting a healthy Machado on the field for Opening Day would be huge for the Orioles after it was initially feared at the time of the injury that he would miss the entire season. He has been a sparkplug for an Orioles team that has put together back-to-back winning seasons after going through over a decade of consecutive losing seasons.
ORIOLES ADD LAFFEY AND SAVASTANO
While the Orioles have still not acquired the difference-maker this offseason to help the team return to the postseason, they did add a few more complementary options recently, signing left-handed pitcher Aaron Laffey and jack-off-all-trades Scott Savastano to minor league deals. Neither will help the Orioles the way a pitcher like Bronson Arroyo or a hitter like Nelson Cruz would, but both may prove to be savvy acquisitions if the team deals with significant injuries in 2014.
Laffey has moved around a lot in his career, and the 28-year-old southpaw has spent time with the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets. Last season he spent the majority of the year in the minors but has a serviceable major league ERA of 4.45. He will most likely not be part of the team’s Opening Day plans, but if the rotation underperforms or deals with injuries he may be able to make a spot start.
Savastano has spent all six years of his career with the Seattle Mariners in the farm system, and has proven to be versatile. He has seen time at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and right field. Last season he hit only.235 in Triple-A with the Mariners and will likely remain off of the big league team unless injuries really hit hard.
As mentioned above, neither player is expected to break camp with the Orioles. In fact, Savastano’s deal does not even include an invitation to Spring Training. While it is encouraging the Orioles are still signing players, the types of players they have signed – backup types such as Laffey and Savastano – is disappointing. A proven starting pitcher or reliable bat to protect Adam Jones and Chris Davis would be more likely to get the fans excited for the upcoming season.
ORIOLES COULD SPEND ADDITIONAL $17 MILLION
Last Wednesday the New York Yankees signed Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka, who was widely considered to be the top remaining free agent before inking a seven-year $155 million dollar contract with the Bronx Bombers. The move was painful to watch as the Yankees have undoubtedly become stronger in the offseason, while the Orioles have not improved notably.
The offseason is not over for the Orioles however, as executive vice president Dan Duquette said the team had a tough time negotiating with the second-tier free agents who were waiting until after Tanaka was signed, and that was part of the reason the team has been as stagnant as they have been. Duquette stressed the importance of adding another starting pitcher, and admitted that the team has the resources to make an addition.
“The market was frozen for a while, but things are starting to move again. We’ll have to see how the market develops, but we’ve been talking to some other pitchers,” Duquette said. He later added, “We have the resources to extend our payroll. Our payroll is going to be closer to $100 million this year.” The Orioles payroll is currently estimated to be between $82-83 million, and was $92 million at the beginning of last season.
The post-Tanaka offseason began last week, and since then one of the top remaining pitchers, Matt Garza, signed a four-year $50 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Other pitchers who have been linked to the Orioles include Bronson Arroyo and A.J. Burnett, while the team has also reportedly been interested in a potential proven designated hitter such as Nelson Cruz.
The smarter move is to upgrade the starting pitching that was not good in 2013, and while one of the remaining pitchers will not do that alone, it would be a step in the right direction for sure. At the very least, it is relieving to know that the team plans to still be active in free agency and it shows that the Orioles are clearly aware their fans are unhappy with the offseason up to this point.
BURNETT NOT RETIRING, WILLING TO LEAVE PITTSBURGH
Starting pitcher AJ Burnett has decided to pitch in 2014 after he contemplated retirement throughout the offseason, and is likely searching for a one-year deal. The right-hander was 10-11 with a 3.30 ERA in 2013 playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was a horse as he pitched 191 innings. He also led the National League in K/9 rate with 9.8, a statistic that beat out Dodgers Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and Phillies ace Cliff Lee.
Burnett, 37, has had his career revived the last two seasons playing in Pittsburgh after posting consecutive seasons with an ERA over 5 in New York. His 2013 season tied his career-low in ERA, and was also his career-high in K/9. Burnett has said before he would like to return near his home in Monkton, MD., which along with the fact he is likely not seeking a long-term deal makes him a very good fit with the Orioles for 2014.
Of course, the Pirates had also expressed desire to have Burnett return even though earlier this month the team reported that they were going to move on as if he was retiring. Burnett also has admitted he would return – under the right circumstances – to a team other than the Pirates. At the very least, the addition of Burnett to the current cast of free agent pitchers, (Bronson Arroyo, Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez) may change the market for starting pitchers.
If Burnett does sign with the Orioles, he would be a solid option in a rotation featuring 2013 breakout pitcher Chris Tillman, Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen. It would also be important to temper expectations, as moving to the American League East is usually tough for pitchers, and Burnett may not be in ideal baseball shape after spending the last three months mulling retirement. Still, he was good in 2013, and is likely not going to require as big a deal as the other free agent options, so this is the best option for a frugal Orioles front office. Make it happen, Dan Duquette.
